I hit the jackpot on Saturday at Skaguay Reservoir near Cripple Creak. Fresh from the wounds inflicted by the monster trout at Antero, I headed to Skaguay in search of a lake more manageable from a float tube. This lake is perfect. It doesn’t have the wind associated with South Park, and there are large numbers of smaller fish that are easier to land in a float tube. My selection paid off; within a few hours on the water I had landed six rainbow trout, and four small pike.
I fished the creek below the spillway on the way out. I put in about fifteen minutes before the weather turned bad and I got three brown trout. Overall, this was my best afternoon ever! I have had good runs in the morning and evening, but this time a landed thirteen fish in the middle of the afternoon through early evening.
I have made a few adjustments to my fly fishing. I am back on wooly bugger and leach patterns, and I have switched from homemade leaders to a knotless tapered 2X. If my streamer patterns don’t work I can always add lighter tippet on the end to go to a nymph or dry fly. I feel that my day on Skagway proves that my dedication to streamer fishing doesn’t just deliver occasional big bites; it can deliver good quantities of trout as well.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Another Monster Eludes Me
My family was away over the weekend. I attempted Lake Antero in my float tube on Friday, which turned out to be an unexpected day off. The lake is located in South Park. This makes for windy conditions and it is packed with boats, tubes, and pontoons. Within an hour I discovered why so many people were fishing this lake. I was trolling a leach pattern when my line took off. I went tight on a monster rainbow. He jumped and my heart stopped. This was the biggest trout I have ever seen -- easily ten pounds. I did the best I could with my 5 weight rod and 3X tippet. The tackle held up, but after about a ten minute fight and four jumps he spit the hook. The experience was somewhat heart breaking but exhilarating and rewarding at the same time. I later got another bite which resulted in an instant line break. After a few hours on the water a storm drove me and everyone else off the lake. I rebounded the following day. I found a place called Skaguay -- details and pictures are forthcoming.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Beyond Streamers
I have evolved over the last few years into a fly fisherman who specializes in streamers, and poppers, which are the ticket for bass. Now that I live in Colorado it’s time to expand my horizons. My go to fly, the wooly bugger, is the best fly for sheer versatility and luring big fish, to include trout. However, my home lake is really a dry fly lake. While the water is clear enough for sight fishing, the most reliable way to locate trout in Quail Lake is by following insects, swirls, and rises. Matching the hatch will take time, but so far I seem to have found luck chucking caddis flies. I am currently out of parachute adams, but that fly is next in the rotation.
Monday, June 1, 2009
More Float Tube Trout And The Other One That Got Away
Yesterday morning proved the value of being close to your fishing spot. I hit Quail Lake on my float tube at sunrise and quickly landed a “pan fryer” rainbow trout, as my cousin BJ calls them. On my next cast I noticed that I had wrapped my line around my leg while I was stripping the fish in – a small technical difficulty. After I sorted out my fly line I went tight on another fish. I set the hook and immediately gave up all my slack line to this fish. I started to apply drag as I quickly ran out of fly line. Once the fish got in my backing I went for the brakes before I got spooled. Applying minimal pressure, the loop connector between my fly line and backing snapped – a major technical difficulty. So not only did I lose another monster, I lacked a replacement fly line making my system completely inoperable. I paddled off the water, went home to pick up a new fly rod (had time to pick up milk for my two year old), and got back on the water with enough time to get another rainbow before I had to get on with the rest of my day.
Lessons of the day: fish near home, have extra fly line handy, and NEVER use a store bought loop connector when fishing for Colorado trout. Ironically, I had tied my own triple nail knot loop for my line to leader connection because I distrusted the loop connectors that came attached to this line. I had forgotten about the one attaching the fly line to the backing…Doh!
Lessons of the day: fish near home, have extra fly line handy, and NEVER use a store bought loop connector when fishing for Colorado trout. Ironically, I had tied my own triple nail knot loop for my line to leader connection because I distrusted the loop connectors that came attached to this line. I had forgotten about the one attaching the fly line to the backing…Doh!
Friday, May 29, 2009
The Trout Lake Next Door
My new place in Colorado Springs is within two miles of a lake stocked with trout: Quail Lake. I first tried the lake fishing with my son the other night. Within ten minutes I hooked a monster rainbow trout that broke me off in about two feet of water. I returned this morning with my float tube. I got three rainbows chucking a wooly bugger. The one in the picture was the smallest, but had the best color. Bobbing in my float tube in the shadow of Pikes Peak is a true Rocky Mountain High.
Catfish...On The Fly Rod?
I was content with scoring a couple small bass at our friend’s place in Superior. I was fishing a Murray’s Strymph, which is a great all purpose fly for those situations when you are totally clueless. It turns out that this streamer/nymph combo is more versatile then I realized. Designed for Shenandoah River smallmouth bass, the Strymph was too much for an 18” catfish to resist. We returned to Superior on Memorial Day. Within fifteen minutes of chucking a Strymph a 19” cat took the offering. So you can catch catfish on a fly rod, provided you have a pocket full of smallmouth flies.
Colorado Fly Bass
We have moved to Colorado Springs, CO. On the day after the movers showed up we drove up to Superior to pick up our kids from a friend who was looking after them on move in day. Chucking a fly at a small lake behind our friend’s house was worth two bass in short order. They were small, but small bass are made for fly fishing.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Dad's Monster Smallie
My Dad is starting to establish himself as a monster smallmouth hunter. Each year he spends on Lake James he seems to log more and more over the coveted 16" range. The entry below details his recent victory over an 18" smallmouth. This week Dad topped that fish by boating a true monster, 21", five-pound North Carolina bronzeback. Once again, the winning tactic was Uncle Leroy's sunset spoon technique. Hats off to Dad for the bass of the year
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Weekend With Dad
Dad and I knew up front that Lame James is tough, but if it didn’t produce we would be spending quality time together. It took awhile to get our patterns established. I got a drop shot going through wood cover that hooked three largemouth bass; unfortunately I learned the importance of sharp hooks on the two best bass. When Dad had exhausted the trusty green plastic worm he would employ a spoon tactic we learned from Uncle Leroy who taught us both to fish and was surely watching every cast we made from above. We also each got a small taste of the crappie bite, which is on this time of year.
Sunday night provided the finale we will remember for a long time. The sun was setting and Dad wanted to throw a spoon in the low light just like Uncle Leroy used to. This tactic had produced a huge white bass on the first night. As the sunlight faded, Dad became frustrated with his inability to thread the line to complete the knot on his spoon. I offered to tie it. As I finished tying the knot I said “this is the least I can do -- consider this payback for all the knots you tied for me.” Dad made one cast and hooked an 18” smallmouth. A long fight ensued with a jump, a dart under the boat, and a dangerous lunge toward the trolling motor putting Dad’s six-pound line to the test. Finally we netted the pig and reflected on the victory. Dad had succeeded again using Uncle Leroy’s spoon tactic, but he was also using a spoon he had inherited from Uncle Leroy. It was almost like there were three of us in that boat.
Sunday night provided the finale we will remember for a long time. The sun was setting and Dad wanted to throw a spoon in the low light just like Uncle Leroy used to. This tactic had produced a huge white bass on the first night. As the sunlight faded, Dad became frustrated with his inability to thread the line to complete the knot on his spoon. I offered to tie it. As I finished tying the knot I said “this is the least I can do -- consider this payback for all the knots you tied for me.” Dad made one cast and hooked an 18” smallmouth. A long fight ensued with a jump, a dart under the boat, and a dangerous lunge toward the trolling motor putting Dad’s six-pound line to the test. Finally we netted the pig and reflected on the victory. Dad had succeeded again using Uncle Leroy’s spoon tactic, but he was also using a spoon he had inherited from Uncle Leroy. It was almost like there were three of us in that boat.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Drop Shot Bassin'
Fishing Lake James with my Dad over the last couple of days has allowed me to work on my drop shot technique. The depth of this lake really demands some type of deep water technique and the drop shot seems to be the ticket. I retract my earlier assertion about this lake lacking structure; there are several banks lined with downed trees. The ends of the trees often hang over a drop off providing excellent largemouth cover. I developed this pattern with a drop shot rigged finesse worm probed deep into the cover. I hooked and lost some real nice big fish. I changed to a sharper hook and finally got a bass in the boat. This lake doesn’t give up bass easily so you learn to appreciate success.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
